jrpark22000 - 110 rimless tank build

[jrpark22000]

Well, the new tank is now running so I have enough to start a good build thread.

I picked up a good used Miracle rimless tank second hand which started a many month build. The tank is in the basement family room, so I need a quiet self contained system. I don’t have access to punch the plumbing threw the wall so everything needs to be inside the cabinet. It needed to be on wheels, and try everything possible to avoid needing a chiller. Most importantly, it must be reliable. I travel for work and cannot be worrying about the tank or if my wife can take care of something while I am away.


Using the build thread from the previous tank owner as a starting point along with my needs I started with the stand back in April.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1698971

Knowing there can be zero deflection in the stand I needed to over engineer as it’ll be in wheels. So a 2x4 structure with 2 layers of ¾” oak plywood skin. The 2x4 uprights are set at a 45 to provide the most mechanical attachment as possible. The first layer of plywood fits in between the uprights and the second layer skins the entire outside. All joints are glued and screwed/stapled. It weights a ton but I know it’ll handle the load.

[jrpark22000]

There are 10 quality castors, each with a 290lb rating, part 19505T11 from McMaster-Carr. There are 5 castors on each side in a similar pattern to how the number 5 is shown on single die/dice. This again will distribute load to the uprights evenly and avoid any stand deflection. (Yes with the tank filled and all live stock in I can roll it on carpet by myself, all be it slowly.)



And finally the tank sitting on the stand.

[jrpark22000]

I next went about the only problem I saw with the tank, a single overflow hole. I wanted a silent drain with failsafe so I wanted a 3 hole “BeanAnimal” drain. I had to build an external overflow box to accommodate the 3 standpipes. Then a custom internal skimmer box with an adjustable weir so I can properly set the water level in the tank. I had to plumb the return lines thru the overflow box due to its size but the end product turned out great.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2017234 – skimmer box thread




I next went to Marcorocks and purchased the rock to start my aquascape.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...&postcount=210
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...&postcount=211

[jrpark22000]

I decided on my skimmer. It’s an old discontinued product but I found new one, Reeflo Orca 200. It is oversized for my system as it can handle 400 gal systems but it works great. I’ll never run out of skimmer on this system. It is the biggest, highest recommended recirc skimmer I could find. I added a Avast swabbie and overflow container to minimize on maintenance.


Next was the sump. I had a limited amount of room left in the stand, so my first try was a Marineland 25gal glass cube. It was the perfect size fit and shape. I cut all the holes and had it plumbed w/o and issue. I was a trial tester for a new reeflo pump and it caused me some problems. During the trial I needed to change pumps and during the entire ordeal the sump cracked at the hole for the return pump. So, I was fortunate enough to build another sump, just a little sarcasm. I found a company and had him build a little larger 27gal, 3/8” rimless acrylic sump. I used the same 3 chamber design from my first design, I cut and glued the internal panels in. After cutting the holes I plumbed everything up.



Yes, I have ball valves on everything. I used pvc for most of the runs but isolated every pump with spa flex. (The finished system can be heard only due to the dart skimmer motor, the needle wheel chops a lot of air and causes the noise.) The overflow, snapper return and eheim feed pumps are all dead silent. When the skimmer is off you can hear the ecotech pumps making their noise quite plainly.

[jrpark22000]

I set the system up and ran it for about a week to give the skimmer a kick start, clearing out all of the oils. Then came the big weekend, the move from my nano into the new system. Overall it took 6 full days and 6-7 week nights to get it all completed. The livestock/rock only took a day but all the electronics, float switches, and fine details took the remainder.

[jrpark22000]

For more photos on the current status, refer to the website I set up for the tank, the link is in my profile as my homepage. The livestock, coral and invert list to come.

The equipment list that I can remember.

Details;
110gal Miracles built starphire tank 48x24x21_1/2" glass
Custom skimmer / overflow boxes
“Beananimal” silent overflow setup
Custom Nanoseacreations.com 25gal sump w/ refug
Reeflo Snapper Gold return pump
Reeflo ORCA 200 skimmer w/ gold dart pump
Avast Marine Swabbie
Eheim 1260 Skimmer feed pump
Neptune Apex and AC3
AISOL blue lights
EcoTech MP40ES circ pumps
Super-feeder.com feeder
BRS carbon reactor
Parmer-masterflex dosing pumps
B-Ionic 2 part-mag dosing
Reef Crystals Salt

[jrpark22000]

The cloudiness from the bacteria bloom would not subside after 3 weeks, so the addition of a 25W UV sterilizer on the overflow siphon tube did the job overnight. Perfectly crystal clear water, the fish are floating in air.

I am also hooking up the O3 reactor which requires some replumbing. Once complete the next project is another cabinet to house the 03 reactor, the ATO jugs, normal supplies and also provide me with a working surface. It’ll be made to look like the stand and sit to the left front facing side. It’ll be until snow is on the ground before I can start the stand But I am looking forward to having it complete.

Pictures on the profile homepage website will be updated soon.

[CalmSeasQuest]

Great build! - I don't think I've ever seen a 110 on wheels

Love the BA overflow too!

[jrpark22000]

Originally Posted by CalmSeasQuest

Great build! - I don't think I've ever seen a 110 on wheels

Love the BA overflow too!

Thank you. The wheels are great. I do find myself leaving the tank rolled away from the wall most of the time, although I hope to get away from the habit.

My blenny loved the overflow too, not sure why but the little guy found it necessary to put himself in it. He has since passed but I knew he was old.

[jrpark22000]

It’s a good time for an update;

I do not regret the switch from the 250MH to the AI leds. My medium and medium-high light SPS did suffer though. I measured the PAR under the old light and under the new, placing the coral in areas with 25% less PAR. They still suffered some bleaching. I kept turning the AIs down until now they are only running at 40% capacity at peek. Finally they are starting to color up again. The Clams and high light SPS immediately started to put on new growth under the AIs.

I added the avast ozone reactor, red sea generator and BRS jumbo carbon reactor to increase ORP into the 350 range. The old tank floated around 280 and had yellow tint water every 3 weeks. The water is now invisible even at 4 week water changes. The thread where I discuss the ozone setup and it’s config;
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...=639805&page=6 starting at post #299

I also added a CO2 scrubber. I used a medium sized avast reactor and fill it with 3lbs of soda-lime. It lasts about 3-4 weeks, putting the cost to operate at about $2 a week. My pH was always low in the winter and use to float .4-.5 during a 24 hr period. It now is always between 8.2 and 8.4. I love how stable the pH has become. I can now use pH as an indicator of ALK to know when to adjust my dosing pumps.

I have started the design of the next addition, an equipment cabinet and QT stand. It will house my ATO reservoirs, ozone reactor, carbon reactor and air pump, as well as support the 45-60 cube QT tank. With a foot print of 2’x2’ and similar height to the main tank stand made to match. I’m still working out the best placement for the equipment and doors but it will be a good winter project. I will use a marinleand 45 or 60 cube, lighted with a AI. Unless something needs QT I think I will keep it plumbed into the main display and sump. When anything needs QT, I can just turn the valves and separate the tank. I think this is the best solution, always keeping a QT setup ready for any unforeseen problem or new addition. The AI will allow me to properly acclimate or QT coral w/o risking parasites in the display.

[jrpark22000]

Equipment cabinet and QT stand are well underway. Still need to make the doors, apply one more coat of stain, then spar urethane to the wet surfaces. The 2 lower sliders are to hold the ATO containers, the top slider is a working table. The side opening is to get to the ozone setup housed behind the ATO containers: ozone reactor, gac reactor, air dryer, air pump, and ozone generator. The excess space will house testing supplies, nets, other misc goodies. The hole in the side is for the the flex pvc to exit the stand and connect to the sump as the back of the cabinet will be against the wall.

The cabinet structure is 3/4 oak veneer plywood with 1.5" square oak supports in each corner. The top and bottom use a 2x4 structure for rigidity and weight distribution similar to the main tank stand. The oak supports add more gluing surface to the corners as well as prevent flexing. Full extension 200lbs 12" drawer slides serve to bring the ATO conatiners out for easy access.

[jrpark22000]

The next update will have the finished QT equipment stand as well as a LED update. I’m adding a 4th AI SOL for more even light distribution as well as 15 Violet LEDs, 5 banks of 3 with 60deg optics.

[jrpark22000]

The QT stand moved into it's new home. The ozone gear, ATO and misc goods also in place. It still needs doors but in time. The wiring and battery backup were cleaned up after photos.

The QT is in place waiting new arrivals.

[CalmSeasQuest]

Beautiful setup JR - I love the fact the wheels provide access to the back of the system. I also agree with the CO2 scrubber - It also makes running a CaRx much easier.

[jrpark22000]

Originally Posted by CalmSeasQuest

Beautiful setup JR - I love the fact the wheels provide access to the back of the system. I also agree with the CO2 scrubber - It also makes running a CaRx much easier.

Thanks Tom. The setup is in the basement up against a foundation wall. Without wheels I'd have to keep the system too far away from the wall using too much floor space. The CO2 scrubber is cheap insurance. pH stays so solid I know what Ca and ALK are doing withtout the need to test frequently and I get 4 weeks out of 3lbs of sodalime.

[jrpark22000]

Here is the research for the LEDs I’m adding to the tank. It goes into which drivers and why as well as the spectrum of the LEDs as compared to photosynthesis. The end result is less than optimal but due to time constraints I won’t be doing a DIY driver build. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...8#post20325778

I have all the LEDs, heat sinks, and most of the misc hardware. I’ll be ordering up the drivers asap and start my wiring once they come in. I hope to have it completed in a month but that may be a bit ambitious.

***one note on the new ATO and QT stand. As compared to my previous setup, the higher elevation of the ATO container created a siphon and dumped 6-7 gallons of RO into the sump. YIPPIE!!!! It was an easy fix, but I didn’t anticipate the siphon.***

Another improvement has been the under-stand overflow tank. It’s about 10-11 gallons and made of 3/8 acrylic. I then added a drain tube to the sump. ½” before the sump would overflow the water will be sent to the under-stand tank. I’ve added a rio pump to transfer the water back to the sump and put it on the apex for remote control. The ATO siphon incident showed me that if a power outage would have happened during such a high sump level I would have had a mess.

Pics will come in time.

[jrpark22000]

Some updated Pics

The entire system as well as the QT setup. The side QT door has to have a piano hinge to allow for full access. I could have made the door opening smaller but wanted full access to allow for easy maintenance of the ozone. I also added a food tray for easy access of common used dry goods.

[jrpark22000]

The new overflow tank

You can see the tank under the stand in the first photo. In the second is the pvc piping as well as the return pump. The third shows the input to the overflow tank from the sump.

[jrpark22000]

Inside the main display stand.

The updated sump design with the ozone reactor output and numerous other changes since initial build. The Co2 scrubber hangs fron the top of the inside of the cabinet and the GFO sits center bottom front. The inside of the cabinet is getting close to full.

[jrpark22000]

The copepod breeding system.

It was a marineland 5 gal hex which now has a center divider silicone in. The 2 separate breeding areas have a surprising difference in productivity, but the main purpose it to avoid a single point of failure in case of a crash. The system was seeded with oceanpods which do great on refrigerated phyto at room temp with 12 hours of light a day with a simple bubbler.

[jrpark22000]

The new tank is 1 year old this month. There were some bumps in the road, it took about 8 months for me to stop tinkering with major components, but the last 4 months have been hands off enjoyment. Except for monthly maintenance, water testing, and stocking changes the system is running autonomously. The coral is growing like crazy and the fish are fattening up nicely.

Notable observations;
1. The BB with marble appears to be working well with no noticed harmful leaching. I lifted a few tiles during the 1 year maintenance and found no detritus under any. Detritus only collects in the small joints between the tiles, but spaghetti worms and amphipods also live the cracks. I use a diatom filter monthly and suck all the accessible joints clean.
2. I don’t use the UV sterilizer since I needed it to clear the initial bacteria bloom, but it is a nice backup.
3. I changed from and ehiem to a iwaki skimmer feed pump and am very glad I did, it’s a much better pump.
4. I’m currently treating for red bugs and will now treat all incoming coral with interceptor in QT before being introduced in the display... The outbreak never got bad and I only noticed them on 3 SPS pieces but I wasn’t going to risk anything. The Interceptor treatment is going as easily and painlessly as advertised and I don’t foresee any problems.
5. The copepod setup runs by itself. I change about 50% of the water monthly but otherwise seldom touch the tank. The phyto multiples faster than the copepods eat so I very rarely add more. When I change the water, I filter the bugs out and dump them into either the sump or display.
6. Water quality is great. Nitrates and phosphates are both low, cheato grows out of control, the ozone keeps the water invisible and the diatom filter clears all the detritus great. I feed the fish and coral medium to heavy and have no nuisance issues.

Recent changes;
1. I built custom screen tops for both the QT and the display. I used BRS 1/4 “ netting and homedepot window screen frame. Instead of sitting the frame on top of the rimless tank I recessed the frame inside the lip of the tank. I made acrylic corner pieces and riveted them on top of the frame. These acrylic corners sit on the top of the tank and allow for the frame to hang into the tank. The screen top has little visual impact but will hopefully prevent any further carpet surfing…
2. I’ve added the 4th AISOL about a month ago. I’m going to wait another month or more before I add the other supplemental cyan, violet and white LEDs. I learned my lesson, it is far too easy to bleach corals under LEDs, even when using a par meter.
3. I’ve lost and added some fish; lost 2 to the carpet, 3 in QT, and 2 to a crazed killer Kole tang. I brought in a pyramid butterfly fish that gave the 2 other noobs in QT something nasty that killed all 3. Whatever it was ate the face off the butterfly before killing the fish. Since adding the replacement pyramid butterfly, the dominance issue with the Kole has subsided and hopefully it’ll no longer slash any more fish.

Future changes;
1.The Supplemental LED build will use some new to the market LED drivers from MeanWell. Instead of the ELN series I was originally going to use, the new LPF series are; current output fixed, have active PFC front ends, have up to 54V output, and are as small as 16W output. I’ll see how they work when received from powergatellc.
2. I’ll redesign and reimplement the AutoWaterChange. I just don’t like how the new saltwater reservoir is located and plumbed.


There is probably things I am forgetting, but onto the good stuff… The pictures.

[jrpark22000]

More...

My colors are way off. The first photo has pink lemonade, blue becker and Lime in the sky, but none of the colors show up in the photo.

[jrpark22000]

Lastly the oldest swimming inhabitant, the widower Black. Kole killed slashed both her and her mate on separate occasions, killing the mate.

[kelp47]

Originally Posted by jrpark22000

Recent changes;
1. I built custom screen tops for both the QT and the display. I used BRS 1/4 “ netting and homedepot window screen frame. Instead of sitting the frame on top of the rimless tank I recessed the frame inside the lip of the tank. I made acrylic corner pieces and riveted them on top of the frame. These acrylic corners sit on the top of the tank and allow for the frame to hang into the tank. The screen top has little visual impact but will hopefully prevent any further carpet surfing…

I love this idea. Would you mind posting some pics of the screen top?

[jrpark22000]

No Problem, here you go. The pictures are a litle grainy as I pulled them from my other forum build thread.